"The Hunger Games" fans show off memorabilia: The film made $155 million in America during its opening weekend, good for the third-best movie debut ever. Rune Hellestad/Corbis

March 26, 2012

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The Hunger Games made a killing at the box office this weekend, raking in $155 million domestically — far more than the $140 million the most optimistic forecasters had projected. Indeed, it was an opening weekend for the record books: The mammoth haul marks the third-best debut ever, the biggest ever for a film that isn't a sequel, and the biggest ever for a film that opened outside the lucrative summer window. "This is the birth of a franchise," says David Spitz, head of Lionsgate distribution. "To launch in this fashion is mind-boggling." Here, a look at how the success breaks down:

72Percent of America's total weekend box-office gross fueled by The Hunger Games

$19.7 millionGross from The Hunger Games' first midnight screenings, the biggest ever for a non-sequel, and the seventh highest of all time

$214.3Total worldwide gross for The Hunger Games. In addition to the $155 million the film took in domestically, it earned $59.3 million in international markets.

$70.6 millionJohn Carter's opening weekend gross in international markets. Though the sci-fi epic has flopped dramatically stateside, it managed to beatThe Hunger Games overseas.

$78 millionThe Hunger Games' production budget. The film has already grossed over twice that worldwide.

$350 millionTotal domestic gross projected for The Hunger Games by industry analyst Doug Cruetz. The film received a rare "A" CinemaScore from audiences, indicating that positive word of mouth will contribute to continued strong business for the film.